Lovely Trouble
by JWolf28
Summary: "Jasmine stayed with Natasha the longest, four months, but she was adopted too and that was that. Until the day the tower was attacked and Natasha was knocked out, but woke up surrounded by kids."
1. Chapter 1

The first time was the most surprising for him. Clint had entered Natasha's apartment when she had been forced on vacation and found a five-year old girl on the couch, eating an ice cream cone. Her long blonde hair was in a braid and her brown eyes watched him curiously. The TV was playing a cartoon, but she didn't watch it once Clint was in the room. Natasha came out a moment later and frowned at Clint. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to see how you were doing. I know you don't like being forced on vacations, but it looks like you have company."

Natasha shook her head. "It's just Maggie. She's my foster daughter."

"You're a foster mom?"

"Only in emergency situations. Maggie was just removed from her last home and they needed someone to take her for a little while. I said I would."

"Why are you even registered?"

"I like kids and I like helping people so being a registered foster parent is just logical. I'm also planning on signing up as a volunteer for the big sister program." Natasha looked to Maggie. "Maggie, this is Clint."

Maggie smiled, her two front teeth missing, giving her an adorable lisp as she greeted him. Maggie looked back to Natasha. "Nat, do we have to watch cartoons?"

"What do you want to watch?"

"I dunno. Do you have Disney?"

"I have Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, and Fantasia."

"Can we see Fantasia?"

"Whatever you want."

Maggie grinned and Natasha put the movie on before flopping onto the couch next to Maggie. "Clint, there's cookie dough ice cream in the freezer; you know where the bowls are. Feel free to join us."

Clint did. A month later, Maggie was moved to a couple that wanted to adopt her. Natasha spent more time with Clint the following week, saying the apartment felt too empty without Maggie.

The second time, Clint was surprised, but not as much as the first time. This kid was a moody teenage boy that blasted Nirvana and had long dark hair that hung in front of his eyes. He lined his eyes with black and painted his nails the same color. Clint could see from the moment he walked in that Natasha was trying to convince the kid to change his ways. The boy was obviously pissed. When Clint came in, he was whining about his nail polish going missing and Natasha was looking innocent, though Clint could see the mischievous look in her eye. She patiently told the boy that while she respected his choices, she didn't think the nail polish was nice. The teen had sighed dramatically, but Clint could see agreement in his eyes.

When Clint arrived over the next day, the boy's face was devoid of eyeliner and he was frowning, but he didn't seem awfully upset. Natasha was wearing a wicked grin when Clint found her in the computer room a moment later. Natasha finished her paperwork and stood. "Hey, Mark, I'm going to get a haircut, you want to come?'

There was a groan. "Sure, whatever."

"Do you want a haircut?"

"Whatever."

When Clint saw Mark a few days later, he looked more like a man than a boy, his hair no longer framing his face, but in a buzz cut that made his face seem more angular. Without the nail polish and eyeliner, he didn't look at all like before, aside from the usual scowl, but that was fading as well. Natasha had made him look respectable and the social worker seemed tres surprised when she saw Mark when she came to pick him up. The woman looked to Natasha. "This is the same kid?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Mark is a young man, but yes, he is the same person."

Mark smiled slightly and thanked Natasha before leaving, showcasing the manners he had learned in his time with Natasha.

The third kid was a young boy, maybe seven. He was short for his age, and rather scrawny, making him seem more like four or five than seven. Natasha worked hard with the boy. Nobody knew for sure what his name was because he was selectively mute. According to Natasha, he had been found by police, walking around town, covered in blood and dirt. The blood was his own, coming from a gash on his arm and a cut on his head. He had a broken wrist that was in a blue waterproof cast. Natasha had been called and she picked him up from the hospital.

Natasha was very patient with the boy, making sure he took his antibiotics, but not forcing him into anything. She helped him keep his wounds clean and when he tried to crawl into bed with her after a nightmare, she wouldn't turn him away, but pulled him close, wrapping an arm around him and whispering words of comfort into his ear until he fell asleep. She had done the same for Clint several times and he had wondered where she had gotten the talent.

The boy came around after staying with Natasha for a month. He tugged on her pant leg to get her attention and when she looked down to him, he smiled at her. "My name is Jared."

Natasha smiled back. "It's nice to meet you, Jared. I'm Natasha."

Jared had grinned. "I know."

Natasha looked at him curiously. "So, how did you get on the streets?"

"I was taken from my mommy and daddy when I was four. I escaped."

"Okay. Do you know your last name?"

"Henry."

"Okay. I'm going to call your social worker and see if we can't find your parents."

Jared nodded happily and went back to the episode of Scooby Doo he was watching. His parents were found and contacted and Jared was returned them. Jared thanked Natasha for helping him and his parents still sent her Christmas cards and she still responded in kind.

The fourth kid was taken in by Natasha just after the Battle of New York. Her name was Jasmine and she was only two years old. Her parents had died in a car crash and Jas was sent to live with Natasha. Jasmine had short brown hair and bright blue eyes and although she had lost so much, she still was the happiest toddler you could know. It was all almost comical. Natasha had joined the team at Stark tower and when she didn't leave her floor for three days, the team and Pepper got worried and made a trip down to her.

Tony brought a shot glass of her favorite vodka in case she was in a bad mood and the others rolled their eyes and just went down. On Natasha's floor, they found Natasha curled in a chair with a book and a cup of coffee. Tony grinned and set the vodka on the table next to her. "For you."

Natasha looked to Stark. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not drinking at the moment."

Tony watched Natasha with curiosity. After a few moments of questions from Pepper and the team, he cut in. "Are you pregnant or something?"

Natasha rolled her eyes and stood, dumping the vodka down the sink and rinsing out her now-empty coffee cup and putting it in the dishwasher. "No, Stark, I'm not pregnant."

"Is the baby Barton's?"

"I'm not pregnant."

"But you're not denying that you and Barton are in a relationship."

Natasha rolled her eyes and sighed, sending Clint a look. "Clint and I have been married for three years. Happy?"

"No, I'm Tony."

Thor grinned. "No, Metal Man, Lady Natasha means to ask if you are pleased."

There were some chuckles and Tony looked pleased with himself after finding the exact nature of the spies' relationship. After a few minutes of chatting, Jasmine ran into the room. "Nat, Nat, Nat!"

Natasha turned with a smile. "What is it, Jas?"

The toddler leapt into Natasha's arms. "I dreamed that you was my mommy and you buyed me a unicorn."

Natasha smiled at her. "And what did you name the unicorn?"

"Her named Nat."

"Nat?"

"Yeah. Like you. Cause you is nice and you don't ask me 'bout Mommy and Daddy."

Natasha smiled and kissed the girl's cheek. "No, I don't."

Jasmine stayed with Natasha the longest, four months, but she was adopted too and that was that. Until the day the tower was attacked and Natasha was knocked out, but woke up surrounded by kids.

**A/N: So, tell what you think. Do I continue, do I ditch it. Review please! Oh, and I don't own the Avengers.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Ma'am, are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Natasha woke slowly and launched to her feet quickly, looking around and taking in her surroundings. There were five kids in the room and each looked familiar to Natasha, but it seemed that their clothes were what made the most easily identified. She was in a room with four pint sized Avengers and a mini Maria Hill. Apparently, when Natasha's teammates had been turned into kids, their clothes had shrunk with them. Hill was in a SHIELD issue suit, Clint had his uniform on, Tony was in a mini Iron Man suit, Thor had a small hammer and his cape and the rest of his costume was the same size as him. Steve was holding a tiny shield and wearing his suit and Bruce was only in a pair of purple shorts.

Natasha looked at them curiously. "JARVIS?"  
"Yes, Agent Romanoff?"

"What happened?"

"During a battle with Hydra agents, a machine was set off and those awake and fighting were changed into small children."

"And why wasn't I?"

"My systems have been running an analysis and have concluded that this is because the machine was built to work against minds that would try to fight it. You were unconscious at the time and your mind was not fighting against anything."

"Okay. And why was Hill here?"

"Agent Hill was here to help with the battle while awaiting the arrival of Director Fury."

"I see. And these are definitely the Avengers and Hill?"  
"That is correct."

"Okay. Get Fury on the phone and tell him what happened. Where's Pepper?"

"Ms. Potts is currently in Tokyo at a meeting. Shall I call her too?"

"Let me know when the meeting's over."

"Yes, Agent Romanoff."

Natasha nodded and looked to the kids. "Alright. So, what do you guys remember?"  
The children's ages varied, Hill looking the youngest at maybe age four. Clint was after her, looking about five. Then was Cap, looking about eight, Thor only an inch or so taller than him. Tony looked slightly older than Thor, and Bruce looked around fifteen. Clint was the first to answer her question. "I remember a police officer telling me and my big brother that our mommy and daddy was died. I 'member stuff before that too, and then I was here."

According to the kids, they remembered what happened before their physical age and then turning up in Stark Tower. Natasha sighed and the kids sat on the couch. "JARVIS, what happened after the machine went off?"

"Your teammates were turned into children and the Hydra agents fled as the machine was destroyed by Mr. Odinson's hammer."

"I see. Scan everyone and tell me about any injuries."

"Right away, Agent Romanoff."

Natasha looked to the kids. "Alright. I want you all to tell me your names and ages."

Maria smiled at Natasha. "I'm Maria and I'm five years old."

Clint looked around curiously until Maria poked him in the arm. "Oh, I'm Clint and I'm six."

"I'm Steve Roger's ma'am. I'm ten."

Thor smiled and shouted his reply. "I am Thor Odinson and I am twelve Earth years old!"

The faceplate lifted on Tony's suit. "What's that supposed to mean? 'Earth years'. Anyway, I'm Tony Stark and I'm a ten-year old billionaire." Natasha rolled her eyes at that.

Bruce smiled bashfully. "Um, I'm Bruce Banner and I'm fourteen."

Natasha nodded. "Is Fury on his way, JARVIS?"  
"Yes, Agent Romanoff. He had an ETA of about five minutes. I have completed the scan."

"And?"

"Agent Hill is in perfect health, as are Mr. Odinson, Mr. Stark, and Dr. Banner. Captain Rogers has asthma and is undernourished and Agent Barton has a slight crack on one of his ribs. You, Agent Romanoff, have a concussion, three broken ribs, a stab wound to your left side, and a cracked left wrist. Shall I call a doctor for you?"

"No, thank you, JARVIS, I'll be fine. I want to have a doctor look over Clint and Steve though."

"Right away."

Natasha walked to the kitchen on the floor. "Alright. Anybody hungry?"

There were several "Yes's" and Natasha picked up the phone to order pizzas to be delivered to the tower. Natasha would meet the delivery man outside and pay him and bring the food in. The sound of a jet roared overhead and Steve threw himself to the floor, pulling Maria and Clint with him, covering their heads. Natasha smiled. "Steve, you don't have to worry about the jet. There's no war going on."

Steve looked up. "We won?"

"Yes. We won. You have nothing to worry about."

Steve smiled and nodded and got to his feet, helping Maria and Clint up as well. Steve paused as he made to follow Clint and Maria as they ran from the room. "Ma'am, are you alright? The man in the walls, he said you were hurt badly."

Natasha smiled. "I'm fine, Steve. Don't worry about me."

Steve left the room and Natasha sighed. "JARVIS, why did they age differently?"

"As far as my scans show, Agent Romanoff, all the children were de-aged twenty years."

"Oh. Well, it's a good thing I didn't de-age. I'd only be about three."

"Yes, Agent Romanoff."

At that moment, Fury stormed into the tower, making the kids scatter in fear. "Anybody want to tell me what the hell happened?!"

Natasha forced the urge to cringe away. "Well, we were attacked by Hydra agents and a machine was set off, resulting in the transformation of my teammates into children."

"And why aren't you playing with dolls in the other room?"

"I was unconscious when the machine went off. According to JARVIS' analysis, only those whose minds were fighting the effects of the machine were changed. My mind wasn't fighting."

Fury glared at Natasha a moment before turning quickly and stalking back the way he had come. "You're in charge of them."

Natasha sighed. "Yes, sir."

After a moment of silence, JARVIS spoke. "Ms. Potts is finished with her meeting."

"Thank you, JARVIS; will you dial her cell number for me?"

"Of course, Agent Romanoff."

"This is Pepper Potts."

"Hi, Pepper, it's Natasha. Listen, something happened while you were out."

**A/N: So, good, bad, ugly? Let me know in the reviews. Seriously, review. Please. I beg of you. Wow, I sound desperate. Silly, Jay. Anyway, I still don't own Marvel or the Avengers, but I am secretly plotting to steal it away and after that I plan on world domination. And can I just say that Captain America: The Winter Soldier was totally awesome!**


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm sorry, say that one more time. Because it sounded a lot like 'Tony, Steve, Clint, Thor, Bruce, and Maria are all kids', but that couldn't possibly be it."

"Believe it. I got knocked over the head, I woke up and there they were. JARVIS confirmed my suspicions and I called Fury who told me that I'm stuck with them until we figure out how to change them back."

There was silence for a moment. Then "I'll be on the first flight back. I'll probably get there sometimes tomorrow morning."

"Great. I'll concentrate on getting them all fed and to bed without too much trouble. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Natasha."

Natasha hung up and looked around. Clint and Maria were watching Finding Nemo on the couch with Thor standing behind them, looking confused. Steve was reading one of the books from the bookshelf Pepper kept fully stocked and Tony and Bruce were tinkering with something and Natasha would be lying if she said she wasn't worried when she heard phrases like "We're going to need acid." and "Where do you think they keep the blowtorch in this place?"

Natasha sighed. "JARVIS, lock up the labs. I don't want Stark or Banner anywhere near them at this age."

"Of course, Agent Romanoff. Shall I lock the shooting ranges as well?"

"Great idea."

"Thank you. The pizza delivery man is outside. Shall I let him in?"

"No, thank you, JARVIS, I'll go down. Make sure that the kids don't do anything overly disruptive."

"Of course."

Natasha snuck to the elevator and paid the pizza boy, thanking him, and rushing back up stairs in under a minute. When Natasha got back, Clint had disappeared, Maria was sitting on top of the TV, Thor was yelling at said TV, Steve was under the coffee table, and Tony and Bruce taking apart Pepper's iPad. Natasha gaped. "JARVIS, I thought I said nothing disruptive!"

"Your words were overly disruptive. I did not classify this as such."

Natasha sighed and set the four pizzas on the table (she knew Thor's appetite) and opened the cupboard to get down the paper plates. As Natasha opened the wooden door, Clint jumped out and Natasha instinctively caught him, surprised. The six-year-old laughed and clung to Natasha. "I scared you!"

Natasha smiled and chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you did. Is that why you were hiding?"

"No. Bruce said that since you were gone we should all do something. Nobody really liked that idea, 'cept Tony, but they're… I think Tony said 'science brooms', but I can't be sure. Anyway, Bruce put Maria on top of the TV and then Thor just started yelling at it, I don't get why, then Tony and Bruce started shouting and they took something apart and there were a lot of pieces and Steve looked worried and crawled under the table. Tony told me to get the, um, heck out and so I went and hid in the cabinet."

Natasha smiled and set Clint down. "Okay. Go get the others and sit at the table while I get the plates."

Clint nodded and ran off and a moment later, there was silence before everyone started shouting as footsteps could be heard running toward the table. Natasha put plates on the table and frowned at the group. "Where's Maria?"

Steve frowned too. "I think she's still on the television, ma'am."

Natasha sighed and went out to the living room, where, sure enough, Maria was pouting on top of the TV. Natasha smiled. "You want to get down and have some pizza?"

Maria nodded. "They left me here."

"Well, I won't. How's that sound?"

Maria smiled and Natasha carried her into the kitchen where the boys had already started eating. Natasha put Maria down and took a seat herself, but Maria climbed into her lap and asked for a slice of cheese pizza. Natasha smiled and obeyed while Clint pouted at Maria. "I wanted to sit on Tasha's lap."

Maria giggled. "Too late. I got here first."

Clint's bottom lip stuck out and he folded his arms across his chest in a classic pout. Natasha bit back a laugh and Clint sighed. "Fine, but I call tomorrow."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling I'm getting auctioned off?"

Steve smiled as Clint and Maria argued about who got to sit on Natasha's lap at what time. "I think that's because you are."

Natasha sighed and shook her head. "Let's just hope no one else joins in."

Steve laughed and everyone finished eating. After Natasha had tossed all the paper plates and put the three remaining slices of pizza in the fridge, she grimaced at the thought of having to get everyone to bed. She didn't think Steve, Clint, or Maria would be too much of a problem, and Thor would probably go down with minimal fighting, but Tony and Bruce were another story. The teenage Bruce was a lot different than the mild man that Natasha knew to be Dr. Banner. The boy was rowdy and moody and didn't really talk to anyone but Tony. He knew he was smarter than most and used it to make other people feel incredibly stupid. He had already made Maria and Thor cry. Natasha decided that letting them fall asleep on their own might be the best bet.

Natasha whistled to get the children's attention. "Alright, everybody, there are three bathrooms on this floor so three people can take a bath at once. Bruce, Tony, and Steve will go first. If you're having trouble with anything, tell JARVIS and he'll help you out. Got it?"

Bruce scowled and huffed a sigh, but nodded, blowing his black hair out of his eyes and Tony followed suit, trying to do the same as Bruce. Steve smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

Natasha felt someone tug on her pant leg and looked down. Clint smiled up at her. "What about me?"

Natasha picked him up. "You'll go after them, but before Maria."

Clint was silent a moment. "Can you help me, though? I'm not good at washing my hair. I always get soap in my eyes and I don't like that."

Natasha smiled. "Of course, I'll help you."

Maria stared from the couch. "Me too?"

"Yes, you too."

After the bathing was done, Natasha set about to putting everyone to bed. She had made up the guest rooms on the floor. Each room had two beds so everyone would be sharing. To avoid any mishaps, Thor and Bruce would be sharing a room rather than Bruce and Tony. Tony would be sharing with Steve and the two youngest would be in the room next to Natasha's. Clint and Maria were out for the count soon after bath time and Natasha carried them both from the couch to their beds. Thor looked like he was about to fall asleep so Natasha escorted him to his room, lending him one of adult Clint's shirts to sleep in, making a mental note to somehow get children's clothes to the tower for the kids. Tony drifted off not long after Thor in one of his adult self's shirts and Natasha managed to carry him to his bed too. Bruce and Steve were up later, both reading, but Steve clocked out before Bruce, yawning and telling Natasha he was going to bed.

Around one in the morning, Natasha had finished her paperwork and a few chapters in her own book and Bruce was still reading a book he had found on the science of nuclear power plants. Natasha sighed. "Bruce, don't you think you ought to get to bed?"

Bruce shook his head. "No. I'm reading this. I'm old enough to stay up on my own."

"It's not a matter of age, Bruce. It's the fact that you are tired and you need sleep."

Bruce glared. "I'm not tired."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Yes, you are. I can see it. You're eyes are drooping, you keep yawning, and you've been reading the same page for the last half-hour."

Bruce frowned. "Fine, so I'm tired. It doesn't mean you can push me around. I don't do bedtimes."

"I never said you did. I just said you might want to think about getting some sleep because I don't care how skinny you are, I can't carry you to bed. You're too big."

Bruce sighed dramatically. "Fine, I'll go to bed. Goodnight, lady."

Natasha rolled her eyes. He was going to be a difficult one.


	4. Chapter 4

The bed was moving. Natasha sat up quickly, knocking something-or someone- over in the process. She looked around and sighed. Clint was curled up next to her and Maria had stood up and resumed jumping on the end of Natasha's bed. Natasha put her head in her hands and tried to wake up fully. She looked to Maria. "Are you the only one up?"

Maria nodded. "Thor snores."

Natasha smiled. "I know. Are you hungry?"

Maria nodded again. "Want pancakes."

"Then pancakes you shall have."

Maria grinned and Natasha glanced at the clock, suppressing a sigh when she saw the time; it was just after six-thirty in the morning. Maria started jumping on the bed and woke up Clint who laughed and joined in. Natasha shook her head and grabbed both children mid-jump and tucked them under her arms as she headed to the kitchen. Maria's tinkling laugh woke Steve, who wandered out and helped Natasha cook, also following behind her and washing the odd dish before he decided to take Maria and Clint to the living room and asked JARVIS to play Frozen at Maria's request.

As the pancakes browned on the griddle, Natasha mentally planned out the day. As soon as Pepper got home, Natasha would run to the store—the kids couldn't keep wearing clothes that were too big for them. After that, Natasha figured that some time at the park was in order so that the kids could blow off some steam. As Natasha was wondering what to do for lunch and dinner, a mug pressed into her hand and the aroma of coffee filled the air. Natasha looked over to find Steve smiling at her. "You looked like you could use some caffeine. And I left it plain because I don't know how you like your coffee."

Natasha pulled Steve into a hug. "I like my coffee black. It's perfect, thank you."

Steve smiled and blushed and Natasha laughed as she flipped the last pancake onto the towering stack and set the plate of food onto the table before taking a sip of coffee and setting to work to work waking the rest of the kids. Tony was already up and tinkering with scrap metal, confusing Natasha as to where and how he got it. Natasha only had to say "breakfast" for Tony to run out of his room, into the kitchen, and launch himself into a chair, making Natasha cringe as she heard a crash, followed shortly by "Nothing broke!" then "Wait, I lied. Was that vase always here?" and finally "Um, I'm bleeding."

Natasha ran out with the first-aid kit that Pepper always made sure was full. She gently pulled the small glass shard from Tony's palm while lecturing him on being careful and not running in the house. Natasha covered the cut with a band-aid and swept up the broken glass.

The crash had woken Thor, who came running out, hammer at the ready. Upon seeing breakfast on the table, Thor plopped down in a chair and waited with a fork in hand. Natasha gently shook Bruce awake, not wanting him to miss out, but after he called her a few choice words, Natasha let him ho back to sleep, deciding that she'd talk to Pepper about what to with him later.

As Natasha sat down at the table, Clint crawled into her lap and Natasha smiled, putting a pancake on both of their plates while Steve helped Maria, Thor shoveled food into his mouth while complementing Natasha's cooking, and Tony are happily, chatting with Thor about television.

Pepper came home just after the dishes were done and Natasha was pouring her third cup of coffee. Pepper gaped at the kids and looked to Natasha before smiling. "You look tired, the kids keep you up?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Very funny. I was up until one with Bruce and after he went to bed, I went to bed, but got woken up by Maria because Clint was having a nightmare. This happened twice before Clint just gave up and spent the night in my bed. Maria woke me up at six-thirty and I got all of two hours of sleep."

Pepper chuckled. "How many of them are there?"

"Six. Clint, Tony, Steve, Maria, Bruce, and Thor."

Pepper frowned, looking into the living room. "I only see five."

"Bruce is still sleeping." Pepper grabbed a cup of coffee and Natasha sighed. "Speaking of the alter ego of our large green friend, I'm going to need some help dealing with Bruce."

Pepper frowned. "Why?"

"Bruce has a terrible attitude. He instigated three fights just last night and called me a few… inappropriate words this morning."

Pepper raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Bruce as in Bruce Banner, mild-mannered scientist that helps Tony in the lab?"

"That's the one."

"Bruce is moody? I find that hard to believe."

"JARVIS, play with footage from Bruce's room this morning."

A screen dropped down from the ceiling and Natasha's conversation with Bruce was played. Natasha touched Bruce's shoulder and he jerked awake, glaring at Natasha and asking what the (insert curse word here) she wanted. When she said that she had made breakfast and he might want to get up, Bruce had sat up quickly and he looked more than angry. "You woke me up this early for f***ing breakfast? What the f*** is wrong with you, you bi***?! You stupid bi***!"

Pepper gaped at the screen. "What is his problem?"

Natasha sighed again and shrugged. "I don't know, but I think it has something to do with the other guy. The Bruce we know knows how to control his anger. What if the other guy is present, but Bruce doesn't know how to control him now?"

As if on cue, there was a crash, a familiar roar, and a shrill scream as Tony ran past them. "I just wanted to know if he'd play Monopoly with me!"

**A/N: So, thoughts anyone? Thanks to all who reviewed!**


	5. Chapter 5

Natasha sighed and looked to Pepper, assassin mode kicking in. "Take the kids to the safe room on the twenty-third floor. I'll take care of Banner."

Pepper nodded and picked up a crying Maria and grabbed Clint's hand, ushering the other three kids out of the room. Clint yanked his hand from Pepper's grasp and clung to Natasha like she was his lifeline. Tears fell on his small face. "I want to stay with you, Tasha!"

Natasha shook her head. "No, Clint, I don't want you hurt. Go with Pepper; she'll keep you safe."

Clint sobbed and shook his head and the roar sounded again, closer than before. Natasha forcibly detached Clint from her side. She lifted him and all but threw him at Pepper before closing and locking the door behind them. Not a moment later, the Hulk came roaring into the room, just as terrifying as before, albeit slightly smaller. The Hulk got close to Natasha, roaring her face as she tried her ground. Natasha involuntarily took a step back, but pulled a stern face, praying to a god she didn't believe in that it would work. "Bruce, stop this right now!"

The Hulk took a step back, seeming confused, but he recovered quickly. "Bruce man no here. Hulk here."

Natasha crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I want to talk to Bruce."

"Bruce man no want to talk to Spider Lady."

The Hulk appeared to be a war with himself then, sometimes sounding like the young Bruce and saying "Help me!" or "Let me out!" The Hulk would counter with "Stop that" or "Hulk here now!"

After a few minutes of watching this, a seemingly forgotten Natasha crept away and got a tranquilizer gun from a drawer in the kitchen. She loaded the gun with a heavy sedative and aimed at the Hulk before firing. The sedative hit the Hulk in the arm and he screamed with rage, lashing out towards Natasha, too fast for her to dodge and she was having a New York flashback. The only problem was, this time Thor wasn't there to help her now. Just before the Hulk's fist hit Natasha, Bruce's voice broke through. "No!"

The fist missed Natasha by a centimeter and the Hulk roared in anger, yanking his fist back and catching the side of Natasha's head on the relapse, the force causing Natasha to fall to the floor, cracking her head against the tile. Bruce screamed in anger, shrinking back down to his fourteen year old self and falling to his knees with sobs. Natasha pulled herself up, blinking away the spots in her vision, and crawled to Bruce's side. She put her arm around his shoulder and he surprised her by leaning in and crying into her shirt. Natasha wiped Bruce's sweaty hair from his eyes and he looked up at her with tears in his eyes and on his cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I couldn't make him go away and- and he came out and you almost got hurt and it's all my fault!"

Natasha continued stroking Bruce's hair. "Shhh, it's okay, Bruce. I'm okay, everyone else is okay, and there was only minimal damage. It's not your fault. You couldn't control him. It's okay."

"But I should have been able to control him. And you're not okay! Your head and nose are bleeding and I can see a bruise already. He hurt you! _I_ hurt you!"

Natasha shook her head. "You didn't hurt me, the Other Guy did. I'll be fine, Bruce."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was such a brat, I'm sorry I was so terrible. I just get angry and I don't know why."

"Shhh, it's not your fault. Don't blame yourself."

Bruce nodded and his eyes drooped. Natasha helped him up and to the couch. Bruce collapsed and fell asleep almost instantly. Natasha covered him with a blanket and sighed. "JARVIS, tell Pepper that everything is taken care of."

"Right away, Agent Romanoff."

Natasha set to work sweeping up glass from fallen mugs and plates as she tried to ignore the throbbing in her side from the reopened knife wound. Clint was the first in the room, leaping over a pile of glass and into Natasha's arms. Natasha forced away a gasp of pain and held Clint close before stepping over the glass and setting him down a few feet away from the mess. Clint had tears in his eyes as he looked at her. "He hurt you."

Natasha shook her head. "No, I'm fine, Clint."

Pepper and the others came in then, and Pepper frowned at Clint. "What were you thinking, running off like that?"

Clint looked to Pepper, his big blue-grey eyes still full of tears. "I'm sorry; I had to make sure Tasha was okay."

Pepper sighed, her expression softening as she lifted Clint onto her hip. "Well, how can I stay mad at a face like that?" Pepper let Clint back down when he squirmed, but frowned down at her hands. "Clint's are you hurt?"

"No, why?"

"Because there's blood on my hands, meaning it must have been on you."

Clint shook his head. "I did hug Tasha, though."

Pepper turned to Natasha, a concerned look on her face. "Are you bleeding?"

Natasha help up her hands, red on them as well. "You got me. I just tore some stitches."

Pepper glared. "JARVIS, call a doctor and have them come here."

"Of course, Ms. Potts."

"Natasha, why didn't you tell us you were hurt?"

"It's not that serious so I didn't see the point."

"JARVIS, how badly injured is Natasha?"

"Agent Romanoff had sustained several injuries yesterday, but only the knife wound is worth mentioning. She is losing blood as a result of it."

Pepper sighed. "And how would you suggest we deal with it?"

"Agent Romanoff requires medical attention, fluids, and rest."

Pepper smiled at Natasha. "You heard him. Go sit on the couch and wait for the doctor."

"Bruce is sleeping on the couch."

"Then sit in the recliner. Even better, go wait on the medical level."

Natasha sighed. "We still need to get clothes for the kids."

"I can get their sizes and have the clothes delivered here. You need to rest."

Natasha sighed again. "Fine, but only for a little while."

Pepper grinned in victory and looked down when she felt a soft tug at her skirt. Clint looked up at her. "Can I go with Tasha?"

"I don't see why not."

Natasha snapped to attention. "Yes, and Steve too. I want them looked at by a doctor."

"Why?"

"JARVIS scanned everyone yesterday and Steve and Clint were the only one's that didn't come back with a clean bill of health."

Pepper nodded and Natasha took Clint by the hand and led him and Steve to the elevator.

**A/N: So, there's the next chapter. Sorry, it took me a bit to update. I had it finished for a couple of days, but I've been putting it off because I wrote it in a notebook and I absolutely hate having to look back and forth from the page to my computer screen as I try to transfer. It drives me mad. Anyway, leave a comment to let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for the story. **


	6. Chapter 6

While Pepper finished cleaning up the Hulk's mess and Maria, Thor, and Tony watched Wall-E, Natasha was eight floors down trying to get Clint to stop panicking so the doctor could examine him. Clint was holding tight to Natasha, eyeing the doctor with worry. "Clint, I promise Dr. Cruz won't hurt you. She's very nice. Look at Steve; he's not afraid of her."

Steve was going along with the examination, setting a good example for the younger boy. Dr. Cruz had examined him quickly, said he had severe asthma and was slightly undernourished, but was otherwise completely healthy. She gave Natasha a prescription for an inhaler for him and had tried to move on to examine Clint, but the child had ducked behind Natasha and refused to move.

Natasha sighed and turned around to look at Clint, lifting him despite the pain this brought. "Clint, I will never ever let anyone hurt you. Dr. Cruz is a very nice woman and she just wants to make sure you're okay."

Clint shook his head. "You first."

Natasha set Clint on the one the examination tables. "Okay, I'll go first and you'll see that I'll be fine."

Natasha sat down on one of the tables. Dr. Cruz came over and dabbed at the blood from the gash at Natasha's hairline and handed her a paper towel so she could wipe the blood from her nose herself. "Well, the cut's not too serious; it won't need stitches. I don't think your nose it broken, but I do want to get a couple of x-rays to see all the damage and you'll have to let me look at that knife wound."

Natasha nodded and lifted the side of her shirt. Dr. Cruz grimaced and shook her head. "I should have been called sooner. This doesn't look good."

Natasha shrugged. "It'll heal."

"Yes, but you're not going into the field anytime soon."

"I'm not going to be in the field anyway." Dr. Cruz injected Natasha with a painkiller, stitched up her side, and got the x-rays done with the machine Tony had insisted be put in his medical lab. He had said that he didn't want to go to the hospital every time he cracked a rib.

When everything was done, Natasha was given a brace for her fractured wrist and pain meds for her broken ribs. "Well, Agent, you've definitely had worse. I would suggest that you take it easy for a couple of days, we don't want the wound to reopen again and you do have a slight concussion."

Natasha nodded. "Sure thing. Okay, Clint, you're up."

Clint sighed heavily and nodded. Dr. Cruz had him get some x-rays done as well and came to the same conclusion as JARVIS, only one cracked rib. He did however, have other assorted cuts and bruises that needed to be examined. Clint wouldn't come out and say it, but Natasha knew that his home life wasn't the best as a child.

The cuts were cleaned, Clint was cooperative, and Steve had behaved well the entire time, so Natasha figured that a treat was in order and wondered it Pepper had ordered the clothes yet.

* * *

Upstairs, Pepper was trying to get control of everyone. Tony and Thor had shared a box of poptarts and were bouncing off the walls on a sugar high. Maria had been kicked in the head after Tony had started jumping on the furniture and was sobbing into Pepper's shoulder and Bruce had woken up and was reading a book on stem cell research.

Pepper ran to the freezer and wrapped some ice in a cloth, holding it to Maria's head. Pepper looked to Bruce. The teenager had been much calmer after the Hulk's outburst and Pepper thought he may be helpful. "Hey, Bruce, could you take Maria to another room while I try to calm the other two down?"

Bruce nodded, marked his page in his book, and took Maria from Pepper, managing to keep the ice on Maria's head as he did so. As soon as her hands were free, Pepper hauled Tony off the couch, her temper getting the best of her, and unceremoniously dropped him on the bed in a guest room and closed the door behind her. "Lock the room down, JARVIS."

"Of course, Ms. Potts."

Pepper went back out to the living room where Thor was starting to crash. After only a few more minutes, Thor flopped on the couch with a groan. "I'm not feeling well, Lady Pepper."

Pepper sighed and put a wastebasket next to the couch and only a few moments later, she heard a knock on Tony's door. "I'm sorry, can I come out now?"

Pepper told JARVIS to let him out and was informed that the clothes she had ordered had arrived and the delivery man was waiting. Pepper nodded. "Could you tell Natasha to pick them up? I think it would be a bad idea to leave the kids alone."

"Right away, Ms. Potts."

* * *

Bruce came back out with Maria, who had stopped crying and was snoozing on Bruce's hip. Pepper sat on the couch next to Thor, who was looking less sick, and Tony flopped down next to her, cuddling into her side. Bruce sat gently in an armchair so not to wake Maria, who curled into a ball on his lap. Tony requested that JARVIS play the movie they had previously been watching.

With everyone quiet, Pepper thought that the kids weren't half bad.

"Agent Romanoff, Ms. Potts has requested that you retrieve the delivery of clothes downstairs. She did not think it appropriate to leave the other children unattended."

Natasha nodded. "Sure, that would be the children's clothes, yes?"

"That is correct, Agent Romanoff."

Natasha took Clint's hand and pressed the call button for the elevator. Steve entered the elevator first and Natasha had JARVIS send him up to the others, if anything because Pepper might need help and Steve was a good sport about that kind of thing. Natasha didn't send Clint with Steve for two reasons. One: he would beg to stay with her anyway, and two: he would probably break up whatever semblance of peace Pepper had managed to establish. After getting done with the doctor, Clint had been energetic and eager to get moving. Natasha would have happily taken him and the others to the park, but seeing as the clothes had only just arrived, it was going to take a while to get everything organized.

As Natasha brought in the six boxes of clothes, she wondered what to do with the kids. She would love to take them to the park, but it was looking stormy outside so that was out. The museum could also be fun, but there would be too many people wondering why the heck Pepper Potts and her friend were out with six kids. Just as Natasha loaded the last box into the elevator, the idea hit her. A new kids' movie had come out and the children seemed excited when the preview had come on the TV. Movie theaters were dark and crowded and they wouldn't stick out there. Natasha smiled at Clint who stuck to her side as she loaded boxes. "How does going to the movies tonight sound?"

Clint grinned up at her. "Fun! Can we see the Lego movie?"

Natasha took Clint's hand. "We'll see what the others have to say."

Clint was practically jumping up and down with the excitement and Natasha hit the button for the floor the others were on. When they got there, Natasha was surprised by the tranquility Pepper had managed to attain. Maria and Bruce were asleep in an armchair, Thor was flopped on the couch with Pepper and Tony at the other end, and Steve was curled up in another armchair with a book in his hand.

Natasha smiled and began to unload the boxes from the elevator and Pepper jumped up to help. Natasha ripped the tape from box and found clothes for a small girl. She put it to the side and opened the next box. In it, she found clothes for Clint. She handed him a pair of khakis and- with much humor- a Hawkeye tee-shirt.

Pepper opened another box and passed Tony a pair of shorts with an Iron Man tee. Tony tossed the oversized shirt he was wearing to the side and looked to Pepper, pointing to the very mini-arc reactor on his chest. "So, I've been meaning to ask, what's this thing? I mean, I know I shouldn't mess with it, I get the feeling that would be bad, but what is it?"

Pepper sighed and sat Tony on the couch next to her. "Well, Tony, you got hurt really badly and that's helping to keep you alive."

"Okay, but what is it?"

"It's an electromagnet."

"Oh, okay." Tony quickly pulled on his clothes and leapt off the couch, running to join Clint in playing with bubble wrap from the boxes.

Pepper looked to Natasha, who was helping a half conscious Maria get into her sundress. "You know, that was a lot less dramatic than I thought it would be."

Natasha smiled. "I have to agree. I would've thought he'd make some big speech about it and then demand that we do something he wanted because he 'almost died'."

Pepper grinned and woke up Bruce to get him dressed.

**A/N: Tell me what you think. Thanks to all y'all who followed, favorited, and of course, virtual cookies to those who reviewed. Let me know what you think, criticism is welcome. A special thanks to my friend NicW1053 who read this out loud while I typed because once again, I wrote it in a notebook when I was bored at school and I hate looking back and forth; it gives me a headache.**


	7. Chapter 7

They ended up going to the Lego Movie just as Clint had suggested. It was tough to get all the kids there, seeing as no one had a car big enough to situate the six children, and Pepper and Natasha just ended up taking a car each; both taking three kids. Natasha took Clint, Maria, and Thor and Pepper took Steve, Tony, and Bruce. Natasha made sure to drive carefully since Clint and Maria were young and small. Listening to the kids chat, Natasha made a mental note to pick up car seats for Maria and Clint.

At the theater, Natasha took one look at the movie poster for the Lego Movie and instantly regretted agreeing on it. However, the kids, aside from Bruce who looked less than eager, were incredibly excited and Natasha didn't have it in her to ruin it for them. Sometime later, Natasha was on the verge of clawing her eyes out. Everything had started out well. Maria had sat on Natasha's lap in the beginning, but after Clint complained heartily, Maria had rolled her eyes ad crawled into Pepper's lap instead. Pepper had seemed surprised, looking to Natasha with wide eyes, but she relaxed after a moment, turning her eyes back to the screen.

As the movie progressed, Natasha was seriously considering going to the bathroom and not coming back. If she ever saw the movie again, it would be too soon. Clint seemed to enjoy it, as did Maria and Thor, but Bruce looked like he'd rather be sticking pins in his eyes, Steve seemed bored, and Tony looked pained. After the movie was over, Pepper looked like she was living a nightmare and Tony gripped her hand tightly as he jabbered on. "I never thought that I'd see a movie that'd make me rethink my love for Legos.

Clint hummed happily. "That was awesome!"

Natasha looked to Pepper. "I don't suppose you have any brain bleach on you?"

"Sorry, fresh out."

Natasha shook her head, looking down as she felt a yank on her jeans. Maria stared up at her, big blue eyes pleading. "Can we go get some ice cream?"

Natasha looked to Pepper. "How do you say no when she asks like that?'

Pepper smiled. "You don't."

A few minutes later, Clint was standing on his tiptoes, trying to see what flavors of ice cream there were. "Tasha, I can't see."

Maria laughed and stuck her tongue out at Clint, smug from her spot on Pepper's hip. Natasha lifted Clint, ignoring her side's protest and Clint stuck his tongue out a Maria, who lost the smug look, pouting instead. Clint's eyes scanned the list for a moment before he looked to Natasha. "Tasha, I've got a problem."

"What?"

"I can't read real good."

Natasha chuckled. "Well, what kind do you want?"

"I don't know. Can I get two scoops?"

"No."

"Oh. Can I have three?"

"If I said you can't have two, do you think I want you to have three?"

Clint smiled. "Yes."

"No. Pick one, I don't want you getting sick."

"I promise I won't!"

Natasha gave Clint a disbelieving look. "The answer is no, Clint, and that's that. Now, what kind of ice cream do you want?"

Clint pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Coffee chocolate chip."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Coffee?"

"Yeah. I like coffee."

Natasha sighed. "If you say so."

The group ordered and sat down, enjoying the ice cream. Clint took one lick of his and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I change my mind, I don't like coffee."

Natasha laughed and handed him her cone, one scoop of cotton candy, having predicted that he wouldn't like the coffee. Cline sheepishly took it and Natasha ate the coffee instead.

When they returned to the tower, Maria and Clint took a bath and went to bed, seeing as it was six o'clock, and Thor insisted he wasn't tired, but followed the two younger kids. Bruce returned to his book on nuclear power plants and Steve doodled in a notebook. Tony disappeared into his room for a little while and when he came out, both Pepper and Natasha jumped up, ready to act. Tony hovered close to the ceiling limbs stuck out at odd angles as he tried to control himself. "So, I thought all this metal had a purpose, so I asked JARVIS and it just built itself around me. How do you control this thing?!"  
Tony wobbled and Natasha sighed. "JARVIS, take control of the suit and get it off him before he hurts himself."

Tony laughed. "No way, this is awesome!"

Pepper glared. "Get out of it, Tony, right now."

"No. This is way too cool for that!"

Tony flew out of the room and the two adults looked at each other, both irritated with Tony. The anger only increased when JARVIS spoke again. "Mr. Stark has left the building."

**A/N: So, I am **_**so**_** sorry I took so long to update! I had some trouble with this story, but I think I've figured it out, which means more updates! Follow, review, and favorite please; it makes me feel good about myself.**


	8. Chapter 8

"JARVIS, get him back here right now; he is in serious trouble." Natasha had never heard Pepper so angry and the Russian was almost scared for the boy.

"Mr. Stark is insisting that he need not come back."

"I don't care what he says, use my override code and take control of the suit. Let him know that when he gets here, he is going to be ground until he's thirty."

Natasha's lips curved into a smile. "Pepper, don't you think thirty's a little extreme? Maybe a month is better."

"We'll discuss details later, but no matter what, he'll be punished for this."

"There will be repercussions for his actions, but we need to make sure he's okay first."

Pepper nodded, her mouth just a thin white line and a few minutes later, Tony returned to the room, the suit peeling away from his body. He looked terrified of the severe expression on Pepper's face and did an about-face, running in the opposite direction, down the hall towards his room.

Pepper and Natasha made to follow him, but an arrow, stuck into the floor in front of them, a pop sounding before the room filled with smoke. Clint's voice sounded with a "Sorry, Tasha!" And Tony disappeared.

And Natasha was livid. She had changed into her favorite pair of pajamas and they now reeked of smoke and it would _never_ come out. Natasha angrily stormed down the hall, dodging a paintball arrow, a net arrow, and another smoke arrow. Grabbing one of the Nerf guns Tony had insisted upon when they were out, Natasha turned the light out and listened for the scuff of feet, shooting in that direction, hearing a "Hey!" before turning on the lights to find Clint with a dark suctioned to his forehead.

The child blanched when he saw Natasha, desperately trying to get his mini-bow up in time, but failing as Natasha tossed his bow to the side, scooping Clint up and tucking him under her arm. Clint squirmed, working desperately to get away, but Natasha kept her grip on him, eventually tossing him on the couch with a glare. "Don't move from that spot or you won't have dessert for a week."

Clint knew on some level that Natasha did not threat idly and smartly stayed where put. Natasha stalked from the room to find Stark before Pepper had a hernia or he broke something, though the crash from down the hall told her she was too late to prevent the latter. Following the noise, Natasha found Tony in his adult self's room under a large pile of scrap metal. Natasha sighed. "What did you break this time?"

"Nothing; this was already here." Tony sniffled. "Is Pepper mad at me?"

"She's very upset that you worried her."

Tony sniffled again, looking up at the assassin with unshed tears in his eyes. "Does she… hate me?"

Natasha's hard look softened. "I don't think it's possible for Pepper to hate you."

"Tony looked on the verge of panic. "But you only think that; you don't know it! What if she does hate me? I don't want her to hate me, Tasha!"

Natasha sighed again. "JARVIS, could you tell Pepper to come here?"

"Of course, Agent Romanoff."  
A moment later, Pepper was in the room, anger burning in her eyes. "You found him?"

Natasha nodded. "I think he has something he wants to say to you."

Tony took the cue and flew out from under the metal, throwing his arms around Pepper. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you mad! Please don't hate me! I promise to be better and not be so bratty and I'll be nicer and I won't scare you anymore!"

Pepper blinked at the sudden- and rather loud- apology, the anger bleeding from her. "Tony, I could never hate you. You scared me; you could've gotten hurt."

"So, you don't hate me?"

Pepper smiled slightly. "No, Tony, I don't hate you."

Natasha left the room and found Clint had fallen asleep on the couch where she'd left him. Shaking her head, Natasha carried Clint to his bed, stopping on her way out of the room to pull the covers further over Maria, who was still sleeping. Steve was still drawing peacefully on the couch, but announced just a moment later that he was getting tired and was going to wash up and go to bed. Bruce didn't say a word, just read his book.

Seeing that everything was pretty much settled down, Pepper told Natasha to get to bed, that she could take care of everything. Natasha threw her smoky clothes in the trash, still quite mad at Clint for that, and took a quick shower, changing into her second favorite pair of pajamas before going to bed. She was asleep almost instantly, but was woken up only an hour later when Clint crawled into bed next to her. They both went back to sleeping quickly, but a thunderstorm rolled in, lightning lighting up the rooms of the tower and thunder shaking the building.

Maria, terrified of storms, woke in tears and once she found Clint wasn't in his bed, ran into Natasha's room, curling up next to the other two and falling asleep again, feeling safe. Steve woke soon after too, the thunder reminding him of a different kind of booming from when he was a child and he ended up in Natasha's bed as well. Seeing as Natasha had a king-size bed, this wasn't much of an issue, but when Thor woke in a panic and crashed in Natasha's bed, and Bruce soon followed after a nightmare about the Other Guy, there wasn't much room to spare. However, Tony didn't want the guilt that would come with waking Pepper, so he took up the last bit of space in Natasha's bed, cramming himself between Maria and Steve, feeling cozy and warm and falling asleep quickly.

In the morning, when the sun was shining and the storm had passed, a confused Pepper searched the children's room, coming up empty until she stepped into the assassin's room to find everyone smashed in her bed. Pepper tiptoed off to get a camera, snapping a picture with a smile before leaving the room. "JARVIS, tell me you've recorded all of this."

"I have indeed recorded the events of the past few days, Ms. Potts."

Pepper grinned and started making breakfast.

**A/N: Sorry about the late update again, guys! I've been busy with volunteering at my church's vacation bible school and everything, not to mention after going ice skating a few days ago, my clumsy self fell and got a bit banged up. I sprained my wrist so it might take me a while to update. Again, sorry for the delay. If you have a suggestion, feel free to leave it, I'm always open to new ideas.**


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